Draft GM plant allergenicity guidance to be presented to stakeholders

Interested stakeholders will discuss EFSA’s draft guidance document on allergenicity of genetically modified (GM) plants at a meeting in Parma on 23 November 2016.

EFSA invites representatives of Member States, scientific experts, NGOs, industry and international partners to participate.

Following a workshop in June 2015, this is the second time that EFSA engages its stakeholders in the shaping of this document as part of its efforts to achieve more transparency and move towards an ‘Open EFSA’. EFSA has sought input from interested parties on its draft guidance during a two-month public consultation which ended in September.

Discussing finalisation of guidance document

Following a presentation of the draft guidance document, participants will hear about the feedback received during the public consultation and discuss approaches for the finalisation of the document.

The assessment of potential allergenicity is an integral part of the overall risk assessment of GM plants before being commercialised in the European Union (EU). The supplementary guidance on allergenicity will reflect relevant technical advances and new scientific findings since the current guidance was published in 2011.